US must treat us with respect, says Pakistan Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa

Islamabad: Pakistan is not seeking material or financial help from the US, but Washington must trust and treat it with respect, Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa today told the US envoy here, a day after President Trump asked Islamabad to stop providing safe havens to terrorists.

While announcing America's new Afghanistan and South Asia policy — which calls for greater US troop deployment and Indian involvement in Afghanistan — Trump had hit out at Pakistan for offering sanctuaries to "agents of chaos."

The US Ambassador David Hale met General Bajwa at the Army's Headquarters in Rawalpindi, where the latter was briefed on the US's new South Asia policy announced by President Trump, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations — the Pakistani military's media wing.

Pakistan's Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa. PTI

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations," the US president had said.

Responding to the invective, General Bajwa said: "We are not looking for any material or financial assistance from the US, but trust, understanding and [an] acknowledgement of our contributions."

According to the ISPR statement, the Pakistan Army chief highlighted the importance of peace in Afghanistan for Pakistan and highlighted the efforts made by the country. He added that such efforts were "not [meant] to appease anyone but [were taken] in line with [Pakistan's] national interest and policy," the ISPR statement said.

General Bajwa further said that collaboration between all stakeholders in the key to bringing the war in Afghanistan to its logical conclusion, the statement said.

Hale said that the US values Pakistan's role in the "War against Terror" and seeks the country's cooperation in resolving the Afghan issue, the statement added. The US ambassador had similarly briefed foreign minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday on Washington's new policy and statements made by Trump regarding Pakistan.

During the meeting, Asif had told the envoy that Pakistan would continue to work with the international community to eliminate the menace of terrorism.